OneDrive automatically logs in to a Microsoft Accounts, syncs data

cheaterslick · Mar 21, 2026

Edwin said:
Fully installed, mine's about 4½GB.

Pretty much, except for online content that you can download on demand.
I disable all Connected Experiences, though..., the Suite still functions fine on it's own.
For what I do, I create my own Templates, etc. I very rarely need to download online content through the Suite, if at all.

So, if you disconnected the machine from the internet and turned it into a standalone, and then tried to use all the Office features (except obviously OneDrive), they would all still work? Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc..?

Edwin · Mar 21, 2026

cheaterslick said:
So, if you disconnected the machine from the internet and turned it into a standalone, and then tried to use all the Office features (except obviously OneDrive), they would all still work? Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc..?

Yes, of course..., except for the features that require an Internet connection, such as Dictation, Copilot, downloading online content, etc.

cheaterslick · Mar 21, 2026

Edwin said:
Yes, of course..., except for the features that require an Internet connection, such as Dictation, Copilot, downloading online content, etc.

View attachment 166469

Hmm, since I don't have an Office 365 subscription, I wasn't directly aware of this.

Learn something new every day....

But then what's to keep somebody from having a standalone machine with an expired Office subscription and getting away with it?

Edwin · Mar 21, 2026

cereberus said:
The ABOMINATION is that many dipsticks fail to learn properly how to use the best cloud service by miles and then slag it off.

I disagree. I'm convinced the abomination lies in Microsoft's failure to educate the unsuspecting user as to how the OneDrive feature is questionably implemented.

TraderGary · Mar 21, 2026

cereberus said:
Yep OneDrive is super, great, fantastic, bend a bit of bully.

The ABOMINATION is that many dipsticks fail to learn properly how to use the best cloud service by miles and then slag it off.

The old adage "A bad workman blames his tools" so applies here.

Unfortunately, many people won't learn how OneDrive works, won't learn how to use it properly, and they become haters

Edwin · Mar 21, 2026

I think responsibility falls on both parties, Microsoft and the User, or at least it should!

Edwin · Mar 21, 2026

cheaterslick said:
But then what's to keep somebody from having a standalone machine with an expired Office subscription and getting away with it?

Pure luck!!!

2112 · Mar 21, 2026

cheaterslick said:
But then what's to keep somebody from having a standalone machine with an expired Office subscription and getting away with it?

You need to connect the computer to the internet from time to time so the installed apps can "phone home" to MS to see if the license is still active. If you don´t, the apps will refuse to launch. The same goes for all licenses from all companies that activates via internet or for subscriptions.

cereberus · Mar 21, 2026

Edwin said:
Yes, of course..., except for the features that require an Internet connection, such as Dictation, Copilot, downloading online content, etc.

View attachment 166469

Office 365 is like ET - has to phone home occasionaly to verify the licence.
I see @2112 just beat me to this point.

cereberus · Mar 21, 2026

2112 said:
You need to connect the computer to the internet from time to time so the installed apps can "phone home" to MS to see if the license is still active. If you don´t, the apps will refuse to launch. The same goes for all licenses from all companies that activates via internet or for subscriptions.

Actually Office will still launch if licence is expired but goes into a sort of read only mode where you cannot save changes.

cheaterslick · Mar 22, 2026

2112 said:
You need to connect the computer to the internet from time to time so the installed apps can "phone home" to MS to see if the license is still active. If you don´t, the apps will refuse to launch. The same goes for all licenses from all companies that activates via internet or for subscriptions.

Ah, well it wouldn't surprise me if somebody's found a way around that, too.

Edwin · Mar 22, 2026

cheaterslick said:
Ah, well it wouldn't surprise me if somebody's found a way around that, too.

For me, the only benefit of 365 is Excel's Dark Mode..., aside from that, the lifetime license is the far better value.
If I sign out or cancel my subscription, they just take a few features away.

Edwin · Mar 27, 2026

Apparently they still wanna nag you about minor anomalies!

cheaterslick · Mar 27, 2026

Edwin said:
the lifetime license is the far better value.

I wouldn't buy Office every few years without it, Otherwise I would have switched to LibreOffice a long time ago and save myself some money. That may still happen if Microsoft makes things worse. :grrr:

Out of principle I will not pay for the subscription same thing over & over again.

DJNelson · Mar 27, 2026

cheaterslick said:
Out of principle I will not pay for the subscription same thing over & over again.

Makes perfect sense. I went a step further and only use software that is portable wherever possible. Saves a lot of time when I have to reinstall windows after doing something dumb.

cheaterslick · Mar 27, 2026

DJNelson said:
Makes perfect sense. I went a step further and only use software that is portable wherever possible. Saves a lot of time when I have to reinstall windows after doing something dumb.

Well I also have LibreOffice installed on a PortableApps stick which I use occasionally when I need to do something else.

OneDrive automatically logs in to a Microsoft Accounts, syncs data

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